Method and system for power control with optimum power efficiency with a multi-port distributed antenna

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for power control with optimum power efficiency with a multi-port distributed antenna are disclosed and may include selectively enabling one or more power amplifiers (PAs) coupled to the antenna. The selective enabling may be based on a desired output power radiated from the antenna, and the PAs may be coupled to ports on the antenna based on an output impedance of the PAs and a characteristic impedance of the ports. Each of the PAs may be configured for maximum efficiency in different power ranges. The power ranges may be inversely proportional to the output impedance of the PAs. The output power may be monitored utilizing a power detector, such as an envelope detector, coupled to the antenna. The antenna may be integrated on a chip with the one or more PAs or may be located external to the chip. The antenna may include a microstrip antenna.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application makes reference to:

-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/367,892 filed on Feb. 9, 2009;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.    19883US01) filed on even date herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.    19885US01) filed on even date herewith; and-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.    19886US01) filed on even date herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.    19887US01) filed on even date herewith;-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.    19888US01) filed on even date herewith; and-   U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Attorney Docket No.    19889US01) filed on even date herewith.

Each of the above stated applications is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[Not Applicable]

Microfiche/Copyright Reference

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FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention relate to wireless communication.More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention relate to amethod and system for power control with optimum power efficiency with amulti-port distributed antenna.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Mobile communications have changed the way people communicate and mobilephones have been transformed from a luxury item to an essential part ofevery day life. The use of mobile phones is today dictated by socialsituations, rather than hampered by location or technology. While voiceconnections fulfill the basic need to communicate, and mobile voiceconnections continue to filter even further into the fabric of every daylife, the mobile Internet is the next step in the mobile communicationrevolution. The mobile Internet is poised to become a common source ofeveryday information, and easy, versatile mobile access to this datawill be taken for granted.

As the number of electronic devices enabled for wireline and/or mobilecommunications continues to increase, significant efforts exist withregard to making such devices more power efficient. For example, a largepercentage of communications devices are mobile wireless devices andthus often operate on battery power. Additionally, transmit and/orreceive circuitry within such mobile wireless devices often account fora significant portion of the power consumed within these devices.Moreover, in some conventional communication systems, transmittersand/or receivers are often power inefficient in comparison to otherblocks of the portable communication devices. Accordingly, thesetransmitters and/or receivers have a significant impact on battery lifefor these mobile wireless devices.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, throughcomparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth inthe remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and/or method for power control with optimum power efficiencywith a multi-port distributed antenna, substantially as shown in and/ordescribed in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forthmore completely in the claims.

Various advantages, aspects and novel features of the present invention,as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, will be morefully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless system, which may beutilized in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary multi-portdistributed antenna on a chip, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 3A is a block diagram illustrating a plan view of an exemplarymulti-port distributed antenna on a chip, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3B is a block diagram illustrating a plan view of an exemplarymulti-port distributed antenna in high power mode, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3C is a block diagram illustrating a plan view of an exemplarymulti-port distributed antenna in low power mode, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for power controlwith optimum power efficiency with a multiport distributed antenna, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Certain aspects of the invention may be found in a method and system forpower control with optimum power efficiency with a multi-portdistributed antenna. Exemplary aspects of the invention may compriseselectively enabling one or more power amplifiers coupled to amulti-port distributed antenna in a wireless device. The selectiveenabling may be based on a desired output power radiated from themulti-port distributed antenna, and the power amplifiers may be coupledto ports on the multi-port distributed antenna based on an outputimpedance of the power amplifiers and a characteristic impedance of theports on the multi-port distributed antenna. Each of the poweramplifiers may be configured for maximum efficiency in different outputpower ranges. The output power ranges may be inversely proportional tothe output impedance of the power amplifiers. The output power may bemonitored utilizing a power detector coupled to the multi-portdistributed antenna. The power detector may comprise an envelopedetector, such as a diode. The multi-port distributed antenna may beintegrated on a chip with the one or more power amplifiers or may belocated external to the chip. The multi-port distributed antenna maycomprise a microstrip antenna. RF signals may be transmitted via the oneor more selectively enabled power amplifiers and the multi-portdistributed antenna.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary wireless system, which may beutilized in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring toFIG. 1, the wireless device 150 may comprise an antenna 151, atransceiver 152, a baseband processor 154, a processor 156, a systemmemory 158, a logic block 160, a chip 162, a distributed antenna 164,and an external headset port 166. The wireless device 150 may alsocomprise an analog microphone 168, integrated hands-free (IHF) stereospeakers 170, a hearing aid compatible (HAC) coil 174, a dual digitalmicrophone 176, a vibration transducer 178, a keypad and/or touchscreen180, and a display 182. The wireless device 150 may comprise a wirelesscommunication device such as a cellphone or a smartphone.

The transceiver 152 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or codethat may be enabled to modulate and upconvert baseband signals to RFsignals for transmission by one or more antennas, which may berepresented generically by the antenna 151. The transceiver 152 may alsobe enabled to downconvert and demodulate received RF signals to basebandsignals. The RF signals may be received by one or more antennas, whichmay be represented generically by the antenna 151, or the distributedantenna 164. Different wireless systems may use different antennas fortransmission and reception. The transceiver 152 may be enabled toexecute other functions, for example, filtering the baseband and/or RFsignals, and/or amplifying the baseband and/or RF signals. Although asingle transceiver 152 is shown, the invention is not so limited.Accordingly, the transceiver 152 may be implemented as a separatetransmitter and a separate receiver. In addition, there may be aplurality transceivers, transmitters and/or receivers. In this regard,the plurality of transceivers, transmitters and/or receivers may enablethe wireless device 150 to handle a plurality of wireless protocolsand/or standards including cellular, WLAN and PAN. Wireless technologieshandled by the wireless device 150 may comprise GSM, CDMA, CDMA2000,WCDMA, GMS, GPRS, EDGE, WIMAX, WLAN, 3GPP, UMTS, BLUETOOTH, and ZIGBEE,for example.

The baseband processor 154 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry,and/or code that may be enabled to process baseband signals fortransmission via the transceiver 152 and/or the baseband signalsreceived from the transceiver 152. The processor 156 may be any suitableprocessor or controller such as a CPU, DSP, ARM, or any type ofintegrated circuit processor. The processor 156 may comprise suitablelogic, circuitry, and/or code that may be enabled to control theoperations of the transceiver 152 and/or the baseband processor 154. Forexample, the processor 156 may be utilized to update and/or modifyprogrammable parameters and/or values in a plurality of components,devices, and/or processing elements in the transceiver 152 and/or thebaseband processor 154. At least a portion of the programmableparameters may be stored in the system memory 158.

Control and/or data information, which may comprise the programmableparameters, may be transferred from other portions of the wirelessdevice 150, not shown in FIG. 1, to the processor 156. Similarly, theprocessor 156 may be enabled to transfer control and/or datainformation, which may include the programmable parameters, to otherportions of the wireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, which may bepart of the wireless device 150.

The processor 156 may utilize the received control and/or datainformation, which may comprise the programmable parameters, todetermine an operating mode of the transceiver 152. For example, theprocessor 156 may be utilized to select a specific frequency for a localoscillator, a specific gain for a variable gain amplifier, configure thelocal oscillator and/or configure the variable gain amplifier foroperation in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.Moreover, the specific frequency selected and/or parameters needed tocalculate the specific frequency, and/or the specific gain value and/orthe parameters, which may be utilized to calculate the specific gain,may be stored in the system memory 158 via the processor 156, forexample. The information stored in system memory 158 may be transferredto the transceiver 152 from the system memory 158 via the processor 156.

The system memory 158 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/orcode that may be enabled to store a plurality of control and/or datainformation, including parameters needed to calculate frequencies and/orgain, and/or the frequency value and/or gain value. The system memory158 may store at least a portion of the programmable parameters that maybe manipulated by the processor 156.

The logic block 160 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or codethat may enable controlling of various functionalities of the wirelessdevice 150. For example, the logic block 160 may comprise one or morestate machines that may generate signals to control the transceiver 152and/or the baseband processor 154. The logic block 160 may also compriseregisters that may hold data for controlling, for example, thetransceiver 152 and/or the baseband processor 154. The logic block 160may also generate and/or store status information that may be read by,for example, the processor 156. Amplifier gains and/or filteringcharacteristics, for example, may be controlled by the logic block 160.

The BT radio/processor 163 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,and/or code that may enable transmission and reception of Bluetoothsignals. The BT radio/processor 163 may enable processing and/orhandling of BT baseband signals. In this regard, the BT radio/processor163 may process or handle BT signals received and/or BT signalstransmitted via a wireless communication medium. The BT radio/processor163 may also provide control and/or feedback information to/from thebaseband processor 154 and/or the processor 156, based on informationfrom the processed BT signals. The BT radio/processor 163 maycommunicate information and/or data from the processed BT signals to theprocessor 156 and/or to the system memory 158. Moreover, the BTradio/processor 163 may receive information from the processor 156and/or the system memory 158, which may be processed and transmitted viathe wireless communication medium a Bluetooth headset, for example

The CODEC 172 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, and/or code thatmay process audio signals received from and/or communicated toinput/output devices. The input devices may be within or communicativelycoupled to the wireless device 150, and may comprise the analogmicrophone 168, the stereo speakers 170, the hearing aid compatible(HAC) coil 174, the dual digital microphone 176, and the vibrationtransducer 178, for example. The CODEC 172 may be operable to up-convertand/or down-convert signal frequencies to desired frequencies forprocessing and/or transmission via an output device. The CODEC 172 mayenable utilizing a plurality of digital audio inputs, such as 16 or18-bit inputs, for example. The CODEC 172 may also enable utilizing aplurality of data sampling rate inputs. For example, the CODEC 172 mayaccept digital audio signals at sampling rates such as 8 kHz, 11.025kHz, 12 kHz, 16 kHz, 22.05 kHz, 24 kHz, 32 kHz, 44.1 kHz, and/or 48 kHz.The CODEC 172 may also support mixing of a plurality of audio sources.For example, the CODEC 172 may support audio sources such as generalaudio, polyphonic ringer, I²S FM audio, vibration driving signals, andvoice. In this regard, the general audio and polyphonic ringer sourcesmay support the plurality of sampling rates that the audio CODEC 172 isenabled to accept, while the voice source may support a portion of theplurality of sampling rates, such as 8 kHz and 16 kHz, for example.

The audio CODEC 172 may utilize a programmable infinite impulse response(IIR) filter and/or a programmable finite impulse response (FIR) filterfor at least a portion of the audio sources to compensate for passbandamplitude and phase fluctuation for different output devices. In thisregard, filter coefficients may be configured or programmed dynamicallybased on current operations. Moreover, the filter coefficients may beswitched in one-shot or may be switched sequentially, for example. TheCODEC 172 may also utilize a modulator, such as a Delta-Sigma (Δ-Σ)modulator, for example, to code digital output signals for analogprocessing.

The chip 162 may comprise an integrated circuit with multiple functionalblocks integrated within, such as the transceiver 152, the processor156, the baseband processor 154, the BT radio/processor 163, the CODEC172, and the distributed antenna 164. The number of functional blocksintegrated in the chip 162 is not limited to the number shown in FIG. 1.Accordingly, any number of blocks may be integrated on the chip 162depending on chip space and wireless device 150 requirements, forexample.

The distributed antenna 164 may comprise a plurality of ports forcoupling signals in and/or out of the distributed antenna 164, and maybe integrated in and/or on the chip 162. The physical dimensions of thedistributed antenna 164 may be configured to optimize a frequency ofoperation and/or characteristic impedance at the plurality of ports. Aplurality of power amplifiers in the transceiver 152 may be coupled tothe plurality of ports to enable power efficiency configuration. Ininstances where high power may be desired, one or more low outputimpedance PAs designed for high power operation may be coupled to lowimpedance ports on the distributed antenna 164 and enabled to amplifyreceived RF signals before communicating them to the distributed antenna164. Similarly, for low power operation, one or more higher impedancePAs optimized for lower power operation may be coupled to high impedanceports of the distributed antenna 164.

The external headset port 166 may comprise a physical connection for anexternal headset to be communicatively coupled to the wireless device150. The analog microphone 168 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,and/or code that may detect sound waves and convert them to electricalsignals via a piezoelectric effect, for example. The electrical signalsgenerated by the analog microphone 168 may comprise analog signals thatmay require analog to digital conversion before processing.

The stereo speakers 170 may comprise a pair of speakers that may beoperable to generate audio signals from electrical signals received fromthe CODEC 172. The HAC coil 174 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,and/or code that may enable communication between the wireless device150 and a T-coil in a hearing aid, for example. In this manner,electrical audio signals may be communicated to a user that utilizes ahearing aid, without the need for generating sound signals via aspeaker, such as the stereo speakers 170, and converting the generatedsound signals back to electrical signals in a hearing aid, andsubsequently back into amplified sound signals in the user's ear, forexample.

The dual digital microphone 176 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,and/or code that may be operable to detect sound waves and convert themto electrical signals. The electrical signals generated by the dualdigital microphone 176 may comprise digital signals, and thus may notrequire analog to digital conversion prior to digital processing in theCODEC 172. The dual digital microphone 176 may enable beamformingcapabilities, for example.

The vibration transducer 178 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic,and/or code that may enable notification of an incoming call, alertsand/or message to the wireless device 150 without the use of sound. Thevibration transducer may generate vibrations that may be in synch with,for example, audio signals such as speech or music.

In operation, control and/or data information, which may comprise theprogrammable parameters, may be transferred from other portions of thewireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, to the processor 156.Similarly, the processor 156 may be enabled to transfer control and/ordata information, which may include the programmable parameters, toother portions of the wireless device 150, not shown in FIG. 1, whichmay be part of the wireless device 150.

The processor 156 may utilize the received control and/or datainformation, which may comprise the programmable parameters, todetermine an operating mode of the transceiver 152. For example, theprocessor 156 may be utilized to select a specific frequency for a localoscillator, a specific gain for a variable gain amplifier, configure thelocal oscillator and/or configure the variable gain amplifier foroperation in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.Moreover, the specific frequency selected and/or parameters needed tocalculate the specific frequency, and/or the specific gain value and/orthe parameters, which may be utilized to calculate the specific gain,may be stored in the system memory 158 via the processor 156, forexample. The information stored in system memory 158 may be transferredto the transceiver 152 from the system memory 158 via the processor 156.

The CODEC 172 in the wireless device 150 may communicate with theprocessor 156 in order to transfer audio data and control signals.Control registers for the CODEC 172 may reside within the processor 156.The processor 156 may exchange audio signals and control information viathe system memory 158. The CODEC 172 may up-convert and/or down-convertthe frequencies of multiple audio sources for processing at a desiredsampling rate.

The wireless signals may be transmitted by the distributed antenna 164which may comprise a plurality of input/output ports. The characteristicimpedance seen by a PA coupled to a particular port may be configured bythe physical dimensions and by which of the plurality of ports thedevice may be coupled to, for example.

In an embodiment of the invention, one or more PAs may be coupled toappropriate ports on the distributed antenna 164 to enable configurationof the efficiency of the power radiated by the distributed antenna 164.For high power operation, a low impedance/high power PA may be coupledto low impedance ports of the distributed antenna 164, resulting in theefficient transmission of RF signals. Similarly, for low powerapplications, one or more higher output impedance PAs coupled to thehigh impedance ports on the distributed antenna 164 may be enabled forefficient transmission of low power RF signals. The PAs may be enabledby the processor 156 or the baseband processor 154, for example, and maycomprise variable gain amplifiers allowing for further control of theoutput power of the distributed antenna 164, and enabling efficientpower control in the wireless device 150 thereby enhancing battery lifeand system performance.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary multi-portdistributed antenna on a chip, in accordance with an embodiment of theinvention. Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown the chip 162, adistributed antenna 201, IC circuitry 203, and antenna ports 205A-205H.The chip 162 may be as described with respect to FIG. 1. The ICcircuitry 203 may comprise devices integrated in the chip 162, such asthe transceiver 152, the processor 156, and the baseband processor 154,for example. The chip 162 comprising the multiport distributed antenna164 may be integrated with the wireless device 150.

The distributed antenna 201, which may be substantially similar to thedistributed antenna 164 described with respect to FIG. 1, may comprisean antenna integrated in and/or on the chip 162 that may comprise aplurality of ports, the antenna ports 205A-205H, such that drivercircuitry may be coupled to appropriate points along the distributedantenna 201. For example, PAs may be coupled to ports that exhibitappropriate characteristic impedance. The distributed antenna 201 maycomprise a microstrip or coplanar waveguide, for example.

The antenna ports 205A-205H may comprise electrical contacts along thelength of the distributed antenna 201 that may enable coupling to theantenna at a plurality of points. In this manner, PAs may be coupled tothe distributed antenna 201 where the characteristic impedance may bematched to the desirable impedance for the device to be coupled. Theantenna ports 205A-205H may comprise metal strips, for example, that maybe electrically coupled to the distributed antenna 201.

In operation, PAs in the transceiver 152 with different outputimpedances and optimum power output may be coupled to the antenna ports205A-205H to enable efficient power control. For example, a higheroutput impedance PA may be coupled to a high impedance antenna port, anda lower output impedance PA may be coupled to a low impedance antennaport. In this manner, an appropriate PA may be utilized for a desiredpower level as defined by the PA output power characteristics andassociated output impedance. Thus, by integrating the distributedantenna 201 on the chip 162 and enabling appropriate PAs, the powerefficiency of the wireless device 150 may be configured for optimumbattery lifetime and RF output power performance.

FIG. 3A is a block diagram illustrating a plan view of an exemplarymulti-port distributed antenna on a chip, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3A, there is shown thechip 162, the distributed antenna 201, the antenna ports 205A-205H,baseband/RF circuitry 301, power amplifiers (PAs) 309A-309H, and a powerdetector 313. There is also shown a current versus distance plot 305 anda voltage versus distance plot 307.

The baseband/RF circuitry 301 may comprise suitable, circuitry, logicand/or code that may be operable to process baseband and RF signals.Baseband signals may be down-converted received RF signals, or may begenerated by input devices such as microphones, for example. Thebaseband/RF circuitry 301 may comprise the transceiver 152, the basebandprocessor 154, the processor 156, the CODEC 172, and the BTradio/processor 163, for example, described with respect to FIG. 1.Accordingly, the baseband/RF circuitry 301 may generate signals to betransmitted by the distributed antenna 201 via the PAs 309A-309H.

The PAs 309A-309H may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, and/or codethat may be operable to amplify signals received from the baseband/RFcircuitry 301 to be communicated to the distributed antenna 201. The PAs309A-309H may comprise switches, such as CMOS transistors, for example,that may enable coupling and decoupling of one or more PAs to an antennaport.

The power detector 313 may comprise suitable circuitry, logic, and/orcode that may be operable to detect the power level of an RF signal fortransmission by the distributed antenna. The power detector 313 maycomprise an envelope detector, such as a diode, for example, and maycommunicate a power level signal to the baseband/RF circuitry 301 fortuning of the output power to a desired level.

The current versus distance plot 305 may represent the magnitude ofcurrent across the length of the distributed antenna 201. Similarly, thevoltage versus distance plot 307 may represent the magnitude of voltageacross the length of the distributed antenna 201. The current andvoltage at a given point on a distributed antenna may be dependant onthe frequency of signals to be transmitted and/or received, theconductivity of the metal and the dielectric constant between theantenna and a ground plane, and by the physical dimensions of theantenna.

The number of antenna ports 205A-105H is not limited to the number shownin FIGS. 2 and 3A. Accordingly, any number of ports and amplifiers maybe utilized depending on the desired output power of the distributedantenna 201 and the amount of power available from each PA 309A-309H,for example.

In operation, RF signals may be generated by the baseband/RF circuitry301 for transmission by the distributed antenna 201. The baseband/RFcircuitry 301 may communicate the signal over a plurality of paths tothe distributed antenna 201 via the PAs 309A-309H. The characteristicimpedance at each port may be a function of the position along thelength of the distributed antenna 201, as indicated by the exemplarycurrent versus distance plot 305 and the voltage versus distance plot307.

In an embodiment of the invention, the number and location of the PAs309A-309H enabled along the distributed antenna 201 may enableconfiguration of the power efficiency of the output power radiated bythe distributed antenna 201. Accordingly, higher output power PAs withlower output impedances may be coupled to low impedance ports such asthe antenna ports 205C-205F, where the voltage divided by the current islow, as indicated by the voltage versus distance plot 307 and thecurrent versus distance plot 305. This is shown further with respect toFIGS. 3B and 3C. The power detector 313 may monitor the output power ofthe signal transmitted by the distributed antenna 201 and may provide afeedback path to the baseband/RF circuitry 301.

FIG. 3B is a block diagram illustrating a plan view of an exemplarymulti-port distributed antenna in high power mode, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3B, there is shown thechip 162, the distributed antenna 201, the antenna ports 205A-205H,baseband/RF circuitry 301, power amplifiers (PAs) 309C-309F, the powerdetector 313, the current versus distance plot 305, and the voltageversus distance plot 307 of FIG. 3A.

In an exemplary high power operation, the PAs 309C-309F, which may beconfigured so that they are optimized for high power operation and maycomprise low output impedance, may be enabled by the baseband/RFcircuitry 301. RF signals may be generated by the baseband/RF circuitry301 and may be amplified by the PAs 309C-309F before being communicatedto the distributed antenna 201 via the antenna ports 205C-205F. In anexemplary embodiment of the invention, the PAs 309C-309F may compriselow output impedances that may correspond with the lower outputimpedance antenna ports 205C-205F, as indicated in the current andvoltage versus distance plots 305 and 307, thus resulting in efficientcoupling of higher output powers, resulting in enhanced performance andimproved battery lifetime of the wireless device 150.

FIG. 3C is a block diagram illustrating a plan view of an exemplarymulti-port distributed antenna in low power mode, in accordance with anembodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 3C, there is shown thechip 162, the distributed antenna 201, the antenna ports 205A-205H,baseband/RF circuitry 301, the PAs 309A, 309B, 309G, and 309H, the powerdetector 313, the current versus distance plot 305, and the voltageversus distance plot 307 of FIG. 3A.

In an exemplary low power operation, the PAs 309A, 309B, 309G, and 309H,which may be optimized for low power operation and may comprise highoutput impedance, may be enabled by the baseband/RF circuitry 301. RFsignals may be generated by the baseband/RF circuitry 301 from inputsources such as dual digital microphone 176, for example, and may beamplified by the PAs 309A, 309B, 309G, and 309H before beingcommunicated to the distributed antenna 201 via the antenna ports 205A,205B, 205G, and 205H. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, thePAs 309A, 309B, 309G, and 309H may comprise high output impedances thatmay correspond with the higher output impedance antenna ports 205A,205B, 205G, and 205H, as indicated in the current and voltage versusdistance plots 305 and 307, thus resulting in efficient coupling oflower output powers, resulting in enhanced performance and improvedbattery lifetime of the wireless device 150.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating exemplary steps for power controlwith optimum power efficiency with a multiport distributed antenna, inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 4, instep 403 after start step 401, the PAs 309A-309H optimized for thedesired output power level may be enabled by the baseband/RF circuitry301 to transmit signals to the distributed antenna 201 via theappropriate antenna ports 205A-205H. In step 405, RF signals may begenerated by the baseband/RF circuitry 301 from one or more signalsreceived from input devices such as the dual digital microphone 176 orthe external headset 166, for example. In this regard, the baseband/RFcircuitry 301 may process received input signals and up-convert thesignals to RF frequencies for transmission. In step 407, RF signals maybe amplified by the enabled PAs 309A-309H and transmitted by thedistributed antenna 201. The output power of the distributed antenna 201may be monitored by the power detector 313, and a power level signal maybe communicated to the baseband/RF circuitry 301 for power levelmonitoring and adjusting, followed by end step 409.

In an embodiment of the invention, a method and system are disclosed forselectively enabling one or more power amplifiers 309A-309H coupled to amulti-port distributed antenna 201 in a wireless device 150. Theselective enabling may be based on a desired output power radiated fromthe multi-port distributed antenna 201, and the power amplifiers309A-309H may be coupled to ports on the multi-port distributed antenna201 based on an output impedance of the power amplifiers 309A-309H and acharacteristic impedance of the ports on the multi-port distributedantenna 201. Each of the power amplifiers 309A-309H may be configuredfor maximum efficiency in different output power ranges. The outputpower ranges may be inversely proportional to the output impedance ofthe power amplifiers 309A-309H. The output power may be monitoredutilizing a power detector 313 coupled to the multi-port distributedantenna 201. The power detector 313 may comprise an envelope detector,such as a diode. The multi-port distributed antenna 201 may beintegrated on a chip 162 with the one or more power amplifiers 309A-309Hor may be located external to the chip 162. The multi-port distributedantenna 201 may comprise a microstrip antenna. RF signals may betransmitted via the one or more selectively enabled power amplifiers309A-309H and the multi-port distributed antenna 201.

Another embodiment of the invention may provide a machine and/orcomputer readable storage and/or medium, having stored thereon, amachine code and/or a computer program having at least one code sectionexecutable by a machine and/or a computer, thereby causing the machineand/or computer to perform the steps as described herein for powercontrol with optimum power efficiency with a multi-port distributedantenna.

Accordingly, aspects of the invention may be realized in hardware,software, firmware or a combination thereof. The invention may berealized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system or ina distributed fashion where different elements are spread across severalinterconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or otherapparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein issuited. A typical combination of hardware, software and firmware may bea general-purpose computer system with a computer program that, whenbeing loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that itcarries out the methods described herein.

One embodiment of the present invention may be implemented as a boardlevel product, as a single chip, application specific integrated circuit(ASIC), or with varying levels integrated on a single chip with otherportions of the system as separate components. The degree of integrationof the system will primarily be determined by speed and costconsiderations. Because of the sophisticated nature of modernprocessors, it is possible to utilize a commercially availableprocessor, which may be implemented external to an ASIC implementationof the present system. Alternatively, if the processor is available asan ASIC core or logic block, then the commercially available processormay be implemented as part of an ASIC device with various functionsimplemented as firmware.

The present invention may also be embedded in a computer programproduct, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation ofthe methods described herein, and which when loaded in a computer systemis able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the presentcontext may mean, for example, any expression, in any language, code ornotation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having aninformation processing capability to perform a particular functioneither directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversionto another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a differentmaterial form. However, other meanings of computer program within theunderstanding of those skilled in the art are also contemplated by thepresent invention.

While the invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the present invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the present invention not be limited tothe particular embodiments disclosed, but that the present inventionwill include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appendedclaims.

1. A method for enabling communication, the method comprising: in awireless device, selectively enabling one or more power amplifierscoupled to a multi-port distributed antenna, wherein: said selectiveenabling is based on a desired output power radiated from saidmulti-port distributed antenna; and said power amplifiers are coupled toone or more ports on said multi-port distributed antenna based on anoutput impedance of said power amplifiers and a characteristic impedanceof said ports on said multi-port distributed antenna.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein each of said one or more power amplifiersis configured for maximum efficiency in different output power ranges.3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said output power ranges areinversely proportional to said output impedance of said poweramplifiers.
 4. The method according to claim 1, comprising monitoringsaid output power utilizing a power detector coupled to said multi-portdistributed antenna.
 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein saidpower detector comprises an envelope detector.
 6. The method accordingto claim 5, wherein said envelope detector comprises a diode.
 7. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein said multi-port distributed antennais integrated on a chip with said one or more power amplifiers.
 8. Themethod according to claim 7, wherein said distributed antenna is locatedexternal to said chip.
 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein saidmulti-port distributed antenna comprises a microstrip antenna.
 10. Themethod according to claim 1, comprising transmitting RF signals via saidone or more selectively enabled power amplifiers and said multi-portdistributed antenna.
 11. A system for enabling communication, the systemcomprising: one or more circuits for use in a wireless device, said oneor more circuits comprising a plurality of power amplifiers, and saidplurality of power amplifiers are coupled to a single distributedantenna via a plurality of antenna ports, wherein: said one or morecircuits are operable to selectively enable one or more of said poweramplifiers coupled to a multi-port distributed antenna, wherein: saidselective enabling is based on a desired output power radiated from saidmulti-port distributed antenna; and said power amplifiers are coupled tosaid antenna ports based on an output impedance of said power amplifiersand a characteristic impedance of said ports on said multi-portdistributed antenna.
 12. The system according to claim 11, wherein eachof said one or more power amplifiers is configured for maximumefficiency in different output power ranges.
 13. The system according toclaim 12, wherein said output power ranges are inversely proportional tosaid output impedance of said power amplifiers.
 14. The system accordingto claim 11, wherein said one or more circuits comprise a power detectorcoupled to said multi-port distributed antenna, and said power detectoris operable to monitor said output power.
 15. The system according toclaim 14, wherein said power detector comprises an envelope detector.16. The system according to claim 15, wherein said envelope detectorcomprises a diode.
 17. The system according to claim 11, wherein saidmulti-port distributed antenna is integrated on a chip with said one ormore power amplifiers.
 18. The system according to claim 17, whereinsaid distributed antenna is located external to said chip.
 19. Thesystem according to claim 11, wherein said multi-port distributedantenna comprises a microstrip antenna.
 20. The system according toclaim 11, wherein said one or more circuits are operable to transmit RFsignals via said one or more selectively enabled power amplifiers andsaid multi-port distributed antenna.